Telegraphic receiving-instrum ent



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Patented June 6, 1882.

G. SMITH.

TELEGRAPHIG RECEIVING INSTRUMENT.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERRITT SMITH, OF ASTORIA, NEIV YORK.

TELEGRAPHIC RECEIVING-INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,057, dated June 6, 1882.

Application filed January 1, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnnnrrr SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Astoria, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraphic Receiving-Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my invention is to attain a greaterdegree of rapidity and certainty of action in telegraphic receiving-instruments than has been possible with the apparatus hitherto employed for that purpose, and to provide an instrument which is especially adapted for use upon long or im 'ierfectly-insulated telegraph-lines, and also in cases where unusual rapidity of signaling is required. These ends I attain by actuating the armature and its attached arm or lever, which produces audible sounds, carries a recording stylus or pen, or serves to open and close an independent electric circuit, through the instrumentality of a constant mechanical power, whichis made to act upon said armature alternately in opposite directions, and is controlled in respect to the direction of such action by means of electromagnetism.

In a pending application for Letters Patent 1 havedescribed and claimed an apparatus of this general character, in which the vibrating armature is actuated in one direction by motion communicated by means of friction from a constant motor, and in the opposite direction by a retracting-spring. My present invention diflers from this,in thatthe movements of the armature in both directions are caused by the mechanical action of the constant motor, the direction of such action being controlled by an electric current of alternating polarity.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatusembodying my invention, apart of the case of the receiving-instrument being broken away to exhibit the internal construction, and the electrical connections being shown in diagram. Fig.2 is a trans verse vertical section of the stationary polarizing-magnet and the armature, and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of one of thehollow coils and its inclosed cylindrical core.

In the drawings, Arepresents a suitable base, upon which the essential parts of the appara tus are mounted.

B and B are helices or coils of thininsulated wire, which are wound upon upright hollow spools or bobbins, one of which is shown in section in Fig. 3. The lower flange, b, of each bobbin is preferably formed of hard rubber or other insulating material.

C and O are two cylinders of magnetic metal, preferably soft iron, each of which fits closely within the central opening of its respective hollow bobbin, 1) or b, but is capable of rotating freely upon its axis while the bobbin remains stationary. Each cylinder forms the magnetic core of its respective helix, and preferably has a flange formed upon its upper end, as shown at c in Fig. 3. From the lower end of each cylinder projects a spindle, 0, upon which is fixed a pinion, D. (See Fig. 3.) The pinions D and D are attached to the respective cylinders C and O, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The two pinions have a like number of teeth and gear together. A toothed driving-wheel, E, engages with the pinion D, and is provided with a crank, F, whereby it may be turned by hand in the direction indicated by the arrow. When the crank F is thus turned the soft-iron cylinders O and O, which form the cores of the hollow helices B and B, are caused to rotate rapidly in opposite directions, but at a like speed, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The upper surfaces of the cylinders are polished, and they are moreover carefully turned and fitted, so that they both revolve as accurately as possible in a horizontal plane.

H is an armatureformed of a V-sha-pcd plate of soft iron, the extremities of which rest upon andin permanentfrictional contact with the upper surfaces of the respective cylinders O O, and near the edge of the flanges, as shown in Fig. 1. The armature may be constructed of a single piece of soft iron; butit is prefera ble, especially when great rapidity of action is required, to construct it in two separate parts, h h, as shown in the figures, which are magnetically insulated from each other, and at the same time mechanically united by means of the arm I, of brass or other suitable non-magnetic metal. The armature H is capable of moving freely in a horizontal plane upon its vertical pivot or axis H; but the extentof this horizontal motion is limited by the rigid arm I, which is mechanically a part of the armature and moves with it. This arm plays between fixed stops J and K, respectively mounted upon standards j and 70, attached to the base-board or pedestal A, which supports the instrument.

The armature H, whether single or compound, is supported by and rests upon a stationary polarizingmagnet, M, (best seen in the section, Fig. 2.) This is preferabl y constructed of a eylindricalsoft-iron core, surrounded by a magnetizing-helix, a, through which passes a constant current from a local battery, 0, (shown in diagram in Fig. 1,) and is connected with the terminals of the helix n by means of wires 1; c underneath the base of the instrument, as indicated by the dotted lines. The helices B and B are united together in the same circuit, but are so connected with each other that the inagnetizing-current passes in the opposite direction around the cores 0 and C, respectively. The terminal wires w w of the helices are extended to binding-screws W and W and serve to form a connection with the main line.

When the apparatus is designed to be used as a relay or as a repeater the armature H is electrically connected by means of the wire m with the binding-post X, and the standard j is also connected by means of the wire y with the binding-postY. The standard K may also be connected by a wire, with the bindingpost Z.

The apparatus thus constructed is placed in the circuit of a telegraph-line, the connections being completed in the ordinary manner by means of a wire, to, connecting the bindingpost W with the earth at the receiving-station, while the wire r0 coming from the transmitting-station, is attached to the binding post W The reversing-key T at the transmitting-station is arranged to transmit alternate positive and negative currents from the batteriesland T, respectively,inawell-known manner, so that when the key is depressed a positive current is sent to line, and when itis raised a negative current is sent to line.

The operation of the apparatusis as follows: \Vhen a telegraphic communication is to be received upon the instrumel'itthe cylindersG and O, which form the cores of the respective helices B and 13, are caused to rotate upon their respective axes in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, which may be effected by turning the crank l, as hereinbefore explained. So long as no electric current traverses the coils B and B the friction between the rotating surfaces of the cylinders O and U and the extremities of the armature II, which rest lightly upon them, will be very slight, and, moreover, the friction of the cylinder 0 tending to drag the armature laterally in one direction will be counteracted by a similar and equal tendency on the part of the cylinder 0 to drag it in the opposite direction, and the armature will therefore tend to remain in a position midway between the limiting contactstopsj and 7:, as shown in Fig. 1. When, however, an electric currentis transmitted through the line, as by the depression of the key T at the transmitting-station, the cylinders U and G instantly become magnetic under the influence of their enveloping-coils, one of them-as, for example, the cylinder O-having north polarity and the other, 0, south polarity. The armature H, resting upon and being in magnetic contact with the polarizing-magnet M, as hereinbefore explained and shown in Fig. 2, receives byinductiou magnetic polarity there from, its extremities, however, being both of the same polarity-for example, south. The effect of the contrary magnetization of the respective cores therefore is that a mutual attraction is exerted between the rotating cylinder 0 and the extremity h of the armature H in consequence of their magnetic polarity be ing unlike, while on the other hand the cylinder G rotating in the opposite direction tends to repel the extremity h of the armature, and thus to diminish thenormalfriction. The arm h of the armature is therefore instantly carried along in the direction of its motion by the cylinder 0, until arrested by the arm I coming in contact with the stop j, in which position it remains as long as a current of like polarity continues to traverse the coilsB and B, or until the action is reversed by the transmission of acurrent of opposite polarity from the battery t. hen this reversal of current upon the line takes place the former action is reversed. is now attracted by the cylinder 0, and the other extremity, h, repelled by the cylinder 0, and hence the armature is moved in the direc tion of the arrow by the friction of the cylinder 0, and the arm I is brought into contact by the stop K.

It is usually found preferable in practice to make use of a train of clock-work, R, of ordinary and well-known construction, driven by a coiled spring or other maintaining power, for producing the necessary rotation of the cylinders O and G. This motor may be thrown into gear with the toothed wheel E by means of a shiftinglever, r, and thus relieve the attendant from the necessity of turning the crank F during the reception of a communication.

The apparatus has been shown in the drawin gs in the form more particularly adapted for use as a relay or repeater, in which case the terminal wires of an independent receiving-instrument, S, and local battery 5 are connected to the binding-screws X. and Y. hen arranged in this manner the independent circuit, whether local or main, will be closed in the same manner as by the armature-lever of an ordinary telegraphic relay whenever the arm I is brought into contact with the stop J, and will in like manner be broken whenever such contact ceases.

It is obvious that the ordinary telegraphic signals may be distinguished by the ear in the well-known manner heretofore practiced by expert telegraphists, the requisite sounds being The extremity h of the armature H produced by the vibration of the arm I between the fixed stops J and K.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a polarized armature maintained in permanent frictional contact with two surfaces of magnetic metal moving with equal rapidity but in opposite directions, and a magnetizing-coil which acts to induce contrary magnetic polarity in or upon said moving surfaces, respectively.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth, of two cylinders of magnetic metal, mechanism for rotating said cylinders simultaneousl y in opposite directions, magnetizing-coils acting upon said cylinders in such a manner as to induce unlike magnetic polarityin them, respectively, a polarized armature mounted in permanent magnetic contact with the moving surfaces of both cylinders and capable of receiving motion therefrom by friction, and stops for limiting the movements of said armature in each direction.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of two cylinders of magnetic metal, mechanism for rotating said cylinders simultaneously at a like speed butin opposite directions, magnetizing-coils actingupon said cylinders in such a manner as to induce unlike magnetic polarity in them, respectively, a polarized armature maintai ned in permanent magnetic contact with the moving surfaces of both cylinders andcapable ot'receivingmotion therefrom by friction, an electric circuit including said magnetizing-coils, and means for transmitting currents or pulsations alternately of positive and negative electricity through said circuit.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of two cylinders of magnetic metal, mechanism for rotating said cylinders simultaneously at a like speed but in opposite directions, magnetizing-coils acting upon said cylinders in such a manner as to induce unlike magueticpolarity in them, respectively, a polarized armature maintained in permanent magnetic contact with the moving surfaces of both cylinders and capable of receivin g motion therefrom by friction, and an independent circuit traversed by an electric current and controlled by the movements of said armature.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of two cylinders of magnetic metal, mechanism for rotating said cylinders simultaneously at a like speed but in opposite directions, magnetizing-coils acting upon said cylinders in such a manner as to induce unlike magnetic polarity in them, respectively, a polarized armature constructed in two sections mechanically united but magnetically insulated from each other, said sections being respectively maintained in permanent magnetic contact with the moving surfaces of the rotating cylinders, so as to be capable of receiving motion therefrom by friction.

6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of two cylinders of magnetic metal, mechanism for rotating said cylinders simultaneously at a like speed but in opposite directions, magnetizing-coils acting upon said cylinders in such a manner as toinduce unlike magneticpolarityinthem,respectively,apolarized armature maintained in magnetic contact with the moving surfaces of both cylinders and capable of receiving motion therefrom by friction, and a permanent polarized statiouarymagnet for imparting like magnetic polarity to both sections of the polarized armature.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st day of December, A. D. 1881.

GERRITT SMITH.

Witnesses:

MILLER G. EARL, WILLIAM H. KENYON. 

